Suction-mouthpiece for excavators.



l N.L0NG. SUCTION yMOUTHPIECE POR EXCAVATORS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 17, 1913.

Patented June 23, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

N. LONG. SUGTION MOUTHPIEGE POR BXGAVATORS. APPLIOATION FILED 11011.17, 1913.

1,100,753. Patented June 23, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEE'IZ.

NIMROD LONG, OF SAVANNAH, GEORGIA.

SUCTION-IVIOUTI-IPIECE FOR EXCAVATORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 23, 1914.

Application led November 17, 1913. Serial No. 801,394.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, NIMRoD LONG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Savannah, in the county of Chatham and State of Georgia, have invented a certain new and useful Suction-Mouthpiece for Excavators, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to excavators or dredgers, the object of the invention being to produce a highly efticient suction mouth piece for excavators which is designed to be dragged along the bottom or bed of a stream and which operates to effectively loosen or break up the bed and direct the same into the suction opening of the mouth piece where it is taken up by the inlowing current of water induced by the suction apparatus with which the head is associated.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide in connection with a suction head or mouth piece having a suction opening in the bottom thereof, a novel arrangement of Scrapers arranged in front and in rear of said suction opening, the scrapers located in advance of such opening operating to form furrows in the bed of the stream and throw the material takeny from said furrows into the suction opening, the scraper in rear of such opening acting in complemental relation to the forward scrapers by removing the ridges left between the furrows previously formed by the for ward scrapers and also directing such material into the suction opening.

A further object of the invention is to provide for admitting water through the upper side of the suction mouth piece and also regulating such liow of water in accordance with the varying conditions due to the nature of the bed of the stream.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as will hereinafter be more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings :-Figure 1 is a top plan view of a suction mouth piece embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a rear end elevation thereof. Fig. Li is a central longitudinal section through the suction mouth piece. Fig. 5 is a cross section through the same on the line m-w of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of one of the forward or advance Scrapers.

The suction mouth piece contemplated in this invention is made in two sections, 1 designating the upper section and 2 the lower section, said sections having the same general shape and being provided with abutting flanges 3 through which are passed bolts 4 by means of which the top and bottom sections are rigidly secured together in fixed relation to each other.

In order to attach the suction mouth piece as a whole to the suction pipe or hose, said mouth piece is provided at the forward end thereof with an annular flange 5 between which and the body sections 1 and 2 are reinforcing webs or braces 6.

Formed in the bottom of the mouth piece and adjacent to the rear end thereof is a suction opening 7 through which the material to be sucked up passes while in the top wall of the mouth piece is a water inlet opening 8 the size of which may be increased or diminishedy by means of a slide or plate valve 9 which is best illustrated in Fig. 1, said valve being formed with a plurality of openings 10 vadapted to move into and out of register with a corresponding number of openings in the top section 1, the opening 8 being crossed by bridge pieces or webs 11 corresponding in size to the intervening imperforate portions 12 of the valve 9 as clearly indicated in Fig. 1. The valve 9 is shown as provided with hand grips 13 at the opposite ends thereof and may be held at any desired adjustment by means of set screws 14 which are threaded through over hanging iianges 15 beneath which the slide valve 9 is movable as indicated in Fig. 4, the walls at opposite sides of the opening 8 being formed with guide grooves 16 in which the opposite longitudinal edges of the valve 9 are slidable. This provides for regulating the amount of water admitted into the suction mouth piece.

By reference to Fig. 5 it will be noted that the bottom of the mouth piece is rounded or in the form of an inverted arch this form having been found more eilicient in practice as it permits the scrapers hereinafter described to actmore effectively when the suction mouth piece is driven sidewise in a tide-way as is very often the case.

Secured to the bottom of the mouth piece in advance of the suction opening 7 is an arcuate series of C-shaped Scrapers desig- Cil nated generally by the reference character.V

straight body portion 17, a recurved or hookedterminal 0r free end portion 18, and i an attaching flange 19 provided with 'holes 20 to enable the same to be bolted or other"Vv wise secured yto the bottom of the mouth piece in the manner illustrated in Figs.V 2 and 4. Furthermore, the forward or advance edge of each scraper A is sharpened as indicated at 2l to enable the same to more easily penetrate and cut into the bed of the stream. The Scrapers A .are arranged in a curved row extending perpendicularly to the general direction of movement of the suction mouth piece and as they move in advance of the suction opening 7, they serve to cut into and form furrows in the bed of the stream, lifting up the material removed from the -furrows and directing ythe same into the suction'opening ff. In Vthe :preferred embodiment of the forward scraper arrangement, the outside or lateral Scrapers, as Shown in Fig. 3, have their :hooked extremities turned inwardly toward each other thereby preventing such extremities lfrom becoming caught and broken when meeting with obstructions although this specified arrangement of the outside scrapers is not, ofl course, lessential -to the invention herein disl closed as said Scrapers may be yarranged either with their free or hooked ends tending outwardly or inwardly.

Arranged in rear of the forward Scrapers 8 and also in rear of the suction opening 7 is 3 a following scraper 22 the sharpened worky ing edge 23 of which is arcuate as best illus- El trated in zFig. 3. This following scraper 22 securingbolts 25 by which it is attached to;

the suction mouth piece and rendered capaholes in the scraper 22 and receiving nuts 28 which bear against the rear side of the scraper '22. On its upper side the suction:

mouth piece is provided with eyes 29 and 30 to receive a suspending chain or tackle to enable the Suction mouth piece as a whole to be raised and lowered and maintained in the desired relation to the bed of the stream.

In operation the suction mouth piece, which is `attached to the usual suction pipe or hose, is dragged along the bed of the stream, and in its forward movement, the

accordance with the character of the boti tom. The C-shaped Scrapers are preferably -made of wrought iron and are interchangeable. Furthermore, they are capable of being easily fastened to the bottom of the mouth piece and may be renewed as often as they wear out. r:Fliese C-shaped Scrapers aro subjected to very rapid Wear and must be renewed from time yto time. Also the bot tom section 2 of the suction mouth piece is subjected to greater wear than the upper sectionand may be removed and replaced by =a new bottom section as often as may be found necessary. This reduces the expense of maintenance as it is seldom necessary to renew the upper section of the mouth piece.

The device as a whole is especially designed to take the place of what is now called the drag used 0n hopper dredges for the improvement of bars and open roadsteads.

that I claim is: l. A suction mouth piece for excavators, comprising a hollow body lforming a Suction chamber having a transversely rounded bottom and having a suction opening in the ,bottom thereof, la series `of forward Scrapers located in advance of Said opening in spaced v relation to yeach other, and a following is Vprovided with vertical slots 24 to receive scraper arranged in rear of the irst named scrapers.

2. A suction mouth piece for excavators, comprising a hollow body forming a suction chamber and having,` a suction opening in the bottom thereof, a series of forward .Scrapers located in advance of said opening in spaced relation to each other, said series of Scrapers being arranged in an inverted arch, and a following scraper arranged in rear of the first named Scrapers.

3. A suction mouth piece for excavators, comprising a hollow body forming a suction chamber and having a suction opening in the bottom thereof, a Series of C-shaped forward Scrapers located in advance of said opening in spaced relation to each other, and a following scraper arranged in rear of the first named Scrapers.

4. The combination with a suction mouth piece for excavators, of Scrapers each C- shaped and fastened to said head in such relation as to be presented edgewisc to the direction of movement of Said head.

5. The combination with a suction mouth piece for excavators, of Scrapers each C- shaped and fastened to said head in such relation as to be presented edgewise to the direction of movement of said head, said Scrapers being inclined rearwardly toward their hooked extremities.

6. The combination with a suction mouth piece for excavators, of Scrapers each C- 10 shaped and fastened to said head in such relation as to be presented edgewise to the direction of movement of said head, each of said Scrapers embodying an attaching Harige.

In testlmon whereoi` I affix my signature in presence o two witnesses.

NIMROD LGNG.

Witnesses:

P. C. KELLY, ROBERT F. OBRIEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patenti,

Washington, D. C. 

